For the people who keep bringing up ice time, does it not bother you that he didn't do that well with AHL ice time?

I'm not saying he's a dud, but I'm not keen on completely dismissing the former coaching regime's treatment of him either. He was never remarkable. Infinitely better than Scuderi? Of course, but my 11 year old looks better than Scuderi.

RisslingsMissingTeeth wrote:For the people who keep bringing up ice time, does it not bother you that he didn't do that well with AHL ice time?

I'm not saying he's a dud, but I'm not keen on completely dismissing the former coaching regime's treatment of him either. He was never remarkable. Infinitely better than Scuderi? Of course, but my 11 year old looks better than Scuderi.

There were times when

Cardboard Orpik > dog doo > Despres

Some argue that's when Simon needed to play through it. Others say he was given time to play through it and deservedly sat and was sent down.

Where did this idea Despres didn't do well with AHL ice time come from. There was a stretch where he was complete crap but that was after getting mind **** in Pittsburgh but he, with Samulesson, were pretty much the best pair all year for WBS. Them with Bortuzzo would be a great third pairing this year rotating in.

The guy was playing for the Pens in the playoffs the previous year. And he played well for a rookie even. Then he gets no chance the next year and is buried in WBS. I do not find it odd at all that he would have a few bad stretches in the AHL.

I'm not worried about Despres. He either turns out great and the board gets to trash on Bylsma for never using him, or he turns out a dud and the board gets to trash on Bylsma for ruining him. Either way it's Christmas morning for me come reading time.

Jim wrote:Wasn't the problem with Despres coachability issues? Basically the coaches were saying "Do this, don't do that and work on the other" and he was like "screw you, screw you and ... no."

Those are rumors. We obviously have no facts there. But it would seem to me that it would be hard to make this evaluation if you didn't actually play him at the NHL level.

I don't see how this matters. If he's an egomaniac in the AHL, what will magically change in the NHL (not that I'm saying he's an egomaniac; just egomaniacs in general)?

I don't know one way or the other. But it doesn't seem far fetched to me to think that when you are sent to the AHL after your coach tells the media that you are a top 4 d man, that some people might have motivation issues. I think the "mishandling" crowd is latching on to this. As in, he was being introduced to NHL play the previous year and did well, but then all of a sudden, the next year he gets very little NHL ice time. Given how he had played in the NHL previously, it didn't make sense to a lot of people watching all of the time. Maybe it didn't make sense to Despres either and frustration set in.

Can we please stop using that "top 4 d man" quote as a defense for Despres? This was before Scuderi was signed and Maatta passed him up on the depth chart in camp. It's irrelevant to anything happening with Despres.

Froggy wrote:Can we please stop using that "top 4 d man" quote as a defense for Despres? This was before Scuderi was signed and Maatta passed him up on the depth chart in camp. It's irrelevant to anything happening with Despres.

No. Besides, Blysma certainly seemed to mean it in the more general sense, that Despres is a top 4 dman, not Despres is one of the Pens top 4 dmen. As even at the time he said it, Letang, Martin, Orpik and Niskanen were obviously ahead of Despres on the depth chart.

Jim wrote:Wasn't the problem with Despres coachability issues? Basically the coaches were saying "Do this, don't do that and work on the other" and he was like "screw you, screw you and ... no."

They told him to basically forget about offense to start the year, took him off the top PP, put him on the top PK, put him out against the top opponents, etc, and he killed it in every category. When he got called up, I thought he was a difference maker and wasn't a liability. Then, for the second half, the coaches just buried.

With Brooks gone, the Pens need physical defensemen. Depres is 22 and 6'4", 220, and winds up those hip checks a lot like Subban does. I like Bortuzzo, but I don't think he's a long term piece. We'll see though. I'm super excited to see the defense this year. Could either be really fun or just an absolute train wreck.

Froggy wrote:Can we please stop using that "top 4 d man" quote as a defense for Despres? This was before Scuderi was signed and Maatta passed him up on the depth chart in camp. It's irrelevant to anything happening with Despres.

I wasn't even taking it literally. Even if you think that a guy will become a top 4 d man some day, he has to play. He definitely has to play more than Bortuzzo and Engelland.

Of course at one point when we had no defensemen in the system besides Despres and him being a 1st rounder he was pencilled in as a top 4 guy.

I hope he ends up as a solid #2 PP guy and a 3rd pairing who just pisses off the other team and doesn't screw up too often. He started to show that last year. Him and Dumoulin could make a very good 3rd pair that can hit and skate and get under the skin of the other team playing 12-15 minutes a game.